1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile wireless communications devices capable of processing cryptographically secure messages and information. In particular, the disclosure is directed to a mobile wireless communications device having cryptographic messaging capability in which automatic key detection and synchronization are provided.
2. Related Art
Exchanging cryptographically secured electronic messages and data, such as, for example, e-mail messages, is well known. Cryptographically secured electronic messaging typically requires the use of cryptographic keys to perform various cryptographic functions relating to secured electronic messages. In order to ensure that a user is able to perform cryptographic functions, such as, for example, signing, verifying, encrypting, decrypting, etc., secure e-mail messages, users are typically required to transfer their cryptographic keys from, for example, a desktop PC or the like, to the mobile wireless communications device. This transfer is typically accomplished via a hard-wired serial connection that accommodates a mobile wireless communications device and provides an interface to the user's desktop PC. When the mobile device is in communication with the user's desktop, a utility, such as, for example, the Certificate Synchronization (sometimes referred to as “Cert Sync”) running on the user's desktop is used to allow the user to choose which keys to synchronize to the mobile wireless communications device.
Periodically, users get issued new signing/decryption keys, for example, for use in secure e-mail messaging. This may be done fairly frequently in some systems, for example automatic key rollover systems such as that employed by Entrust™, or less frequently if the users keys only expire every couple of years or so.
When a new key or keys are issued, the user must load these new keys onto the user's mobile wireless communications devices in order to be able to sign and decrypt secured messages with the new keys. Typically, the process of updating the keys for the mobile wireless communications device involves running Cert Sync on the user's desktop; manually identifying which keys are new; manually selecting keys to download; and synchronizing with the mobile wireless communications device. Users may not realize that new keys have been issued in which case they will not be able to read encrypted e-mail until they synchronize with their desktop and update the device key store.
This method of key management for mobile wireless communications devices is cumbersome, inefficient, subject to widespread inaccuracies and is difficult to implement. As discussed above, it is difficult to identify which keys are new keys even when the user is aware of the issuance of new keys.